GEOGRAPHY AND THE START OF CIVILIZATION TC MM RO<3
JOKE OF THE DAY-What do you call the little rivers that flow into the Nile? read the page to find out the answer!

Important Vocab

middle kingdom - time period: 2080-1640 BCE
city state - functioned as an independent country does today
dynasty - a series of rulers from a single family
cultural diffusion - the process of a new idea of product spreading from culture to another
polytheism - a belief in more than one god
empire - political unit in which a number of people our countries are controlled by a single ruler
theocracy - a government in which the ruler is viewed as a define figure
monsoon - a wind that shifts at certain times of the year over water
pharaoh - a king of ancient Egypt considered a god
animism - the belief that spirits are present in animals, plants and other natural objects
anthropology - the study of ancient cultures
artifacts - objects found by archaeologists
culture-the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particulare nation, people, or other social group
technology - the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes
nomads - people who don't have a permiment home and travel from place to place
Paleolitic Age - The Stone Age. 2,500,000 - 8,000 BCE
Neolithic Age - The New Stone Age
fossil - the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism
hunter-gatherers - people who live by hunting, fishing, and harvesting wild food
slash/burn/farming - the activity or business of growing crops and rasing livestock
domestication - tame a whild animal
BCE/CE - before common era/ common era. Equivalent to BC and AD


8 elements of a civilization
1. Cities
2. Well Organized Central Government
3. Complex Religions/Belief Systems
4. Job Specialization
5. Social Classes
6. Arts And Architecture
7. Public Works
8. Writing/Record Keeping

These elements are what characterized an ancient city. Basically, if a city is missing one then it isn't a civilization.
They can still be used for modern cities. What would Rochester's 8 elements be?

The 5 Themes of Geography!
1. Location - a place of settlement, activity, or residence
2. Place - a particular portion of space (specific place)
3. Region - an extensive or continuous portion of land
4. Human Environment Interaction - how humans and the environment effect each other throughout history
5. Movement - the movement of people/goods across continents


Transition from Paleolithic Age to Neolithic Age
People always searching for more food >> Crops provide a reliable food source
Only simple social organization is possible >> Population grows as life becomes more complex
People traveled trying to find food sources >> Stay in one place


NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION

It's a turning point! People finally figured out how to farm.
Most people were nomads, so they only had to rely on hunting and gathering. Once they started farming in one place, they had more food.
Domestication of animals began.
Special tools for digging and weapons for hunting were developed.
Advanced civilizations began to spring up in Egypt and Sumer.
Trade was increased and commerce developed.
Going from place to place is much easier.
Job specialization became possible because of the necessary division of labor.

The downside:
- there was famine crop failure due to pests or weather
- natural disasters and raiders could destroy a village
- diseases spread more easily

Polytheism! It's a pretty big deal in the early river valley civilizations. It's a belief in many gods or beings. Egyptians believed in many gods, most representing animals. That's an example of animism. Mesopotamians' religious structures were ziggurats. They were also polytheistic. They mostly prayed for good weather conditions so they could have a good harvest. A civilization's religious views shows a lot about its way of life.

Early Civilizations
Mesopotamia - between Tigris and Euphrates River. Now, modern-day Iraq.
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Included Sumer, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian empires.
Writing system - Cuneiform. It looks similar to hieroglyphics, but don't be fooled!
Important cities- Ur and Uma
Architecture - ziggurat (religious place of worship)

Indus River Valley - in India
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Social classes were close together
Religion - Hinduism
Main public works - organized roads

Egypt - around Nile River
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Government - run by pharaohs
Important public works - sewer system and aqueducts
architecture - pyramids
writing system - hieroglyphics

Shang and Zhou dynasties were around the Yellow River in China.
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Hammurabi's Code
  • purpose of code was to help unify diverse groups within the empire
  • Hammurabi collected already existing rules and laws to make the code
  • 282 specific laws
  • tells us great deal about Mesopotamian lifestyle and values
  • the code applied to everyone, but there were different punishments for the rich and poor, and men and women
  • code reinforced that government had a responsibility for the society's actions
Example- If someone was robbed and theif was not found, the government would have to pay back what was stolen
  • often laws included some form of retaliation as punishment
Example- "An eye for and eye, a tooth for a tooth."
Which element of a civilization does Hammurabi's Code fall under?
Hammurabi was the King of Babylon from 1810 BCE - 1750 BCE. He extended his rule to Mesopotamia.

Ten Things You Should Definitely Know:
-The vocabulary and definitions at the top of the page
-8 elements of a civilization
-Be able to relate those elements to the main early civilizations
-5 themes of geography
- Life during the Paleolithic Age
- Life during the Neolithic Age
-Time periods
-What happened during the Neolithic Revolution (turning point, hunting/gathering to farming)
-Be able to locate early civilizations on a map
-Understand polytheism

Mini DBQ

1.
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a. What is the name of this writing system?
b. Which early civilization used this writing system?
c. What river(s) was it located near?

2.
"If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out."- Section 196 of the Code of Hammurabi
a. Which element of a civilization does this fulfill?
b. Why is it so important?

3.
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Which elements of a civilization could this represent and why?

Other useful sites:
Regrents Prep- Early Civilizations
Geography of Ancient Civilizations
Early Civilizations GAME


answer to joke of the day: juveniles